Joe Biden swears the oath of office at noon Eastern on Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.
The very ceremony in which presidential power is transferred, a hallowed American democratic tradition, will serve as a jarring reminder of the challenges Biden faces: The inauguration unfolds at a U.S. Capitol battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks ago, encircled by security forces evocative of those in a war zone, and devoid of crowds because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stay home, Americans were exhorted, to prevent further spread of a surging virus that has claimed more than 400,000 lives in the United States. Biden will look out over a capital city dotted with empty storefronts that attest to the pandemic’s deep economic toll and where summer protests laid bare the nation’s renewed reckoning on racial injustice.
He will not be applauded — or likely even acknowledged — by his predecessor.
Flouting tradition, Donald Trump planned to depart Washington on Wednesday morning ahead of the inauguration rather than accompany his successor to the Capitol. Trump, awaiting his second impeachment trial, stoked grievance among his supporters with the lie that Biden’s win was illegitimate.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL has selected three people who have served during the coronavirus pandemic as honorary captains for the Super Bowl along with inaugural poet Amanda Gorman for an original poem.
Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Wednesday that educator Trimaine Davis, nurse manager Suzie Dorner and Marine veteran James Martin will take part in the coin toss on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida. The trio was picked for embodying the NFL's message of "It Takes All of Us" this season.
Gorman, the country's first National Youth Poet Laureate, recited "The Hill We Climb" at the Biden inauguration Jan. 20. She will recite her poem about the trio's impact before the game, which will be televised and shown inside Raymond James Stadium.
Davis made sure to get his students and their families in Los Angeles devices and internet access, and he also hosted tech workshops to help people learn how to use the devices.
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Dorner, who lost two grandparents to COVID-19, is the COVID ICU nurse manager at Tampa General Hospital and represents healthcare workers across the country as honorary captain.
Martin helped veterans, high school athletes and local youth connect virtually through the Wounded Warrior Project and by livestreaming events in Pittsburgh. He volunteered to livestream every home football game for Aliquippa High School so families could watch. He also has taken in needy children in his neighborhood.
"During this incredibly challenging time in our lives, Trimaine, Suzie, and James have exemplified the essence of leadership, each in their own way," Goodell said. "We are grateful for their commitment and proud to share their stories and recognize them during this special moment on Super Bowl Sunday."
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